Hi everyone, I havent visited here for a while and I feel a bit guilty that I only come here when my RLS is bad. Im so sorry for that.
I have had RLS really bad the past week, every night my legs have ached like you wouldnt believe. Ive tried everything, raising my legs, walking around, cold compress, soothing cream, Does anyone else think that stress might make RLS worse, Im wondering if thats why mine is so bad at the moment.
Hiya
I've had it bad now for few months just grabbing couple hours or less every night 
, i think stress does make it worst personally as mine seems worst if im up-set about something or feeling low because i haven't slept bit of a circle really ,
I've yet to find anything that works ,
good luck hope you get a peaceful night tonight
sal
Thank you Sal for answering my post. Im so sorry that you are suffering too. Its so hard isnt it. My legs have been aching all day today too. Im even getting it in my arms today as well. I dont know what else to try either. I hope that you get a better night's sleep. Im going to try have a nice long walk this evening see if that helps. Its such a lovely evening and Im hoping that exercise might do it good. Can only but try! Good luck to you too..
Laine
Hi Laine 
know what your saying about the aches the next day think from over stretching or bashing either one i get it in my arms too have done for years in the forearms , used to do exercise but seems to make the muscles want more when trying to sleep if you think about it on your feet all day and they'd still be at it day or night but still a nice walk on a nice evening does the soul good if nothing else ,
sal
Hi Sal, Ive been reading some of your blogs too.
Its good to talk to people who understand. The last few nights for me have been bad. Im wondering if maybe the weather being so hot has something to do with it too It could be lots of things couldnt it. I wish they could find a cure or at least a good medication to stop it.
I am looking forward to my walk this evening, its a beautiful evening and it will be good for the soul as you say.
Laine
Stress can make RLS worse for some people. Also dont over do it with the exercise in the evening, that can also make the symptoms worse for some...they say, (the so called experts) that gentle exercise in the morning is best....For me, it doesnt matter whether i sit still all day, or i am out and about, if the RLS is going to play me up, it will...stupid condtion is RLS...
Thanks Elisse, I did wonder about exercise. You should have seen me marching like a soldier last night round my living room at about 3am in the morning. I thought I was going mad! Anyway, the exercise didnt work. It is a stupid, stupid condition and those that dont have it really dont understand how awful it is.
I beleive.stress is a big factor exercise does not help at all. Relaxation is the key.
Thank you Grandma Chris, I think you are right, its learning how to relax and ignore the pain. The pain does seem to get worse the stiller you stay, obviously why its called restless legs! Im just so low with it at the moment. It seems to be taking me over. Going to try the co-codamol tonight.
Hi iainey2465, i so sorry to hear about your situation at the moment, I have found that TRAMADOL is the only painkiller,
that works for me when everything else fails!
However it usually takes 2hrs to start to kick-in BUT at least i know it's going to help me a bit!!!
I used to try + go for 3am walks outside even when it was freezing,
cold, i got back home after about a hours walk get back into bed,
+ Wham my bloody started-up again after about 10 mins of lying down in bed!!!.
Hi, thanks for commenting. I cant take Tramadol it makes me hullucinate and get jerky movements lol! It does not react well with Citalopram. Im glad that youve found something to help you. Ive take co-codamol the last couple of nights and that seems to be ok at the moment. But my sciatica is really bad tonight, if its not one its the other lol xxx
The trick is to find what amount of exercise is good for your legs. usually nothing strenuous 3 or 4 hrs before bed time is best, so hopefully you have a "quieting down" period. When my RLS is raging, my meditation goes out the wndow, but if I remember to do it while things mellow, things tend to stay more mellow. I like to maintain a sense of calm as much as possible, and you can listen to your body better that way. Of course, some nights nothing is going to work and we will be marching around the house. I was up and down about 12 times between 3 and 6 a.m. and I was marching, for sure! Good luck tonight!
Thank you so much for your comment. I think I can never stay calm enough to listen to my body. Like you say, some nights nothing works and we end up marching around. I must have looked a sight last night. At one point I was hanging my legs over the back of the settee, only because its leather and it was nice and cool. Good luck to you too.
Sorry to hear you are having it so bad. It really drives you nuts and nothing seems to help. My experience has been that stress has always made it worse for me. However, I've also found that relaxing can bring it on for me as well. It really is infuriating. Here is some hope for you...for just over a week now, I've been using Neupro patches as prescibed by my GP and have only the occasional twitch. I've topped it up at bedtime with a Solpadeine and it has been terrific. I know nothing works for everyone but if you can give it a try....you have nothing to lose. All the very best!
Thank you for your comment. It does drive me nuts. As you say, it seems to come on whether or not we are relaxed or doing exercise. I really dont know what it is. Thank you for the advise about the patches. I will chat to my Doctor next time I go. All the very best to you too.
After reading the comments above I suddenly realized how I used to get my 'crazy' legs to calm down when I couldn't sleep. That was before back and hip problems and when i was still quite mobile! I would get down on the floor and "bicycle' my legs at least 50 times. I mean straight up in the air and kick around and around as vigoursly as possible. Believe it or not, but I would also eat a few carrots before starting this exercise. I don't know what the carrots contain that could possibly help RLS, but together with "bicycling" it did the trick for me at the time.---Now, at 73 and two hip replacements later, I totally rely on any strong medication to relieve the RLS. Some nights are unbearable.
I can only say how much I truly appreciate reading all the support stories on this site! I have been greatly helped by some of the suggestions, especially when my doctor wouldn't listen!!
Thank you for your comment. It is the most frustrating thing ever isnt it and this site is brilliant, all the comments and reading people's blogs have been a comfort. I try the bicycling thing too but since I had a back operation about 10 weeks ago I havent done that. I get nights where they are so unbearable I dont sleep at all and I get so so angry with myself. My Doctor doesnt seem to listen either but I have so many other things wrong with me that he needs to deal with. xx
I'm new to this website, but unfortunately not to RLS. I've suffered from it my entire life, 50 years. I don't get pain, I get that internal itching feeling, which I would describe as the feeling you get when you need to stretch but multiplied a million times or more. Yes, it's definitely stress-related. I've noticed that all my life. I've coped my doing things that give temporary relief until you're so tired you fall asleep, although it's horrible when it wakes you up again. Sometimes I thump the top of my thighs, which might sound weird but it does give relief from the sensations I feel, for a few seconds. The only other thing is intense usage of the thigh muscles, but gain that can only give temporary relief. Have never found warm baths/exercise etc helped. For me it's definitely a state of mind (or state of hormones?)
Awwwww it sounds like you get it really really rough too. What I cant understand is that some nights I dont get it at all and I cant think of anything I did any different. Its not many nights that I get off from it though! I get them sensations where I want to stretch my legs and I stretch them til they really hurt. Last night I had a good night, I dont know whether that was because I was tired or because I took co-codamol.
Hello all, yes, I have RLS some/most nights, and do not do anything different during the day as when I do not get RLS that night. Seems unrelated to anything. Though I have taken codene for some years for back pain. I wonder if that long-term use is the cause.
I take codeine as well. I wonder sometimes if the RLS is worse when Im not taking the codeine. It could be like a withdrawal thing from the codiene maybe. xxxxxx
Sleepless in California
Sleepless Barb
Any recommendations as to the best meds to take for restless legs? I am at my wits end with sleepless nights!
RLS sleeplessness
Good and bad rls nights
